Life on the campaign trail: Running for office

If you had told me while I was studying journalism at X University (graduating in 2008), that years later I would run for office against Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, I would never have believed you.

What drew me to journalism initially was wanting to tell stories that would make a difference in people’s lives. That eventually led me to humanitarian work, where I responded to countless natural disasters, conflicts, and epidemics. Through doing that work, I kept seeing the same people impacted over and over, folks already living precariously to begin with. I started feeling frustrated that humanitarian work, although important, doesn’t address the root causes of why certain people are disproportionately affected by crises, and the climate emergency. This is what led me to run, to tackle those same issues but at the systemic level, in the hopes of effecting long-lasting and meaningful change.

Representation was also important in my decision to run, as someone who identifies as queer and non-binary. I wanted people like me to see themselves in me, and to realize they too could put themselves forward.  As a kid growing up in a small village in Nova Scotia, I didn’t have this kind of representation, and I know how important it is firsthand.

As much as you can prepare for being a candidate, you can never really know what it feels like until you do it. It’s hard work, long days, not dissimilar to journalism really. What is different though is that you are the story. You are the face, the name on all the signs. For me, that came with a sense of responsibility to not let my team and voters down, to work as hard as I could to make the change happen that so many people wanted, even though winning was an uphill battle.

I also had to deal with people saying hurtful things, like anti-trans emails, and I came face-to-face with how polarized our society has now become, with those who believe in vaccinations, and those who don’t. And that was really hard, especially as a humanitarian worker who has seen the impact on children in other countries who haven’t had the most basic vaccinations we take for granted here.

My favourite part about running was knocking on doors and speaking to people about issues I care about. I especially loved meeting Mary, a 96-year-old NDP voter who has never stopped fighting for change. I also won't forget every single 18-year-old I spoke to who were so excited to vote NDP to make their voices heard. I also loved having conversations with people who didn’t agree with me on issues but were willing to talk about them regardless, and those special moments where I could see that something I said made them think differently.

Even before the campaign was over, folks were asking me if I was planning to run again. Whether that’s in the cards or not, I’m not sure. But I will continue fighting, because effecting change is hard and it takes time, but I believe we all deserve to have a more just and equitable world.